The Boston Celtics booked their ticket to the Eastern Conference semifinals on Friday and they’ll meet a team with whom they have a history with.
The Celtics will welcome the Washington Wizards to TD Garden on Sunday for the first game of their best-of-seven series. Considering how the two teams engaged in the regular season, this second-round matchup could produce some fireworks.
The ferocity between the two teams ignited back in January. At the close of a Celtics-Wizards matchup at TD Garden, Jae Crowder and John Wall exchanged a few words before Crowder stuck his finger in Wall’s face, resulting in the two players having to be forcibly separated.
The rivalry has heated up ever since. Washington even staged a “funeral” for Boston by wearing all black to the next contest between the two teams just 13 days after the Crowder-Wall skirmish.
So, it’s safe to say there is no love lost between these two teams. But aside from the extracurricular activity that took place throughout the regular season, the Celtics and Wizards are two clubs who deserve to be playing in the second round.
The two teams split their regular-season series — winning two games apiece — with the home team winning each time. Boston picked up the most recent win with a 110-102 victory on March 20 at TD Garden.
Both teams enter Sunday with immense confidence and momentum. The Wizards closed out their first-round series with a 115-99 win over the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on Friday, while the Celtics are riding a four-game winning streak after dropping the first two contests to the Chicago Bulls.
This matchup will feature a battle of two of the best backcourts the NBA has to offer. Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley will have their work cut out for them going up against John Wall and Bradley Beal. Both teams are led by their star point guard, and it could be the performances of Wall and Thomas that decide the series.
All things considered, the Celtics and Wizards are in line to produce an exciting second-round series.
Thumbnail photo via Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports Images
